France, Loire Valley - Château de Villandry VI (The Interior)

Villandry is one of the great chateaux built on the banks of the Loire during the Renaissance.

With its unique furnishings, décor and atmosphere, the Château de Villandry is a living testimony of French heritage. 

When Jean Le Breton acquired the Villandry estate, the building was a Medieval fortress. 

The defensive architecture was pared down, opened up and enhanced with elements of Renaissance décor. 

In the 18th century, the Marquis de Castellane moved into Villandry and made some major changes 

to transform the building into a warm, bright and comfortable home that reflected the art of living at that time. 

By the end of the 19th century the estate had fallen into disuse 

and was saved from dereliction by Joachim Carvallo and Ann Coleman, 

who in turn undertook a campaign of restoration to return it to its Renaissance state. 

Henri Carvallo, the current owner of Villandry, is following in the footsteps of his ancestors 

by both preserving this unique heritage site and opening it up for visitors to enjoy.

France, Loire Valley - Château de Serrant II (The Interior)

Most western of the famous Loire Valley castles, Serrant has always been lived in and fully furnished since the 17th century. 

Chateau de Serrant is renowned for the beauty of its apartments. 

Behind its harmonious façade, the inside of this Renaissance castle is luxuriously decorated, 

and it's home to a superb collection of antique furniture, tapestries, paintings, 

and other works of art collected over a period of 400 years.

The beautiful staircase with a sculpted ceiling is a fine example of Renaissance design 

and you will be equally impressed by this, as well as by the magnificent Duke’s library - apparently housing over 12.000 volumes.

You can also visit Napoleon's bedroom (which was never used by the Emperor as he stayed at the castle for only two hours), 

the main lounge, the Empire room, the chapel, 
the cellars that have been redesigned as kitchens with beautiful medieval vaulted halls, etc.

Everything will delight fans of period interiors.

Soak up the sense of history 

which co-exists in harmony with the friendly atmosphere of a house which has never ceased to be inhabited. 

France, Loire Valley - Château de Cheverny IV (The Interior)

The chateau you see today is as it was originally built, 

and the feeling of stepping back in time is only enhanced by a visit inside where it is impressively decorated and furnished. 

As with many of the Loire chateaux, ladies played a major part in its construction and decoration 

with Marguerite Gaillard (Mrs Hurault) administrating the building work and her daughter completing the decoration.   

The interior reflects a living history of the family generations. 

The rooms and apartments are especially richly furnished, and reflect a highly refined style, with gilded and decorative furniture, 

numerous paintings and priceless tapestries all through the chateau, 

and walls sometimes decorated in vibrant colours. 

(Remember to keep looking up - some of the decorated ceilings are among the highlights.)

The wonderful range of furniture and interior decorations, are all remarkably well preserved.

The private apartments on the first floor convey the French ‘art de vivre’ (art of living), 

with rooms such as the birth chamber, the nursery, the private dining room and others.

It is generally agreed that Cheverny is the most beautifully furnished of all the castles in the Loire Valley, 

and you will see numerous beautiful examples of 17th century furniture and wall coverings, 

as well as ornaments, clothes and other small objects that help bring the visit to life.